“Male Help Wanted” ?

Hiring signs, like “Male Help Wanted” may be controversial, but not necessary illegal. Is this discriminatory? It may depend on who you ask, but what matters is the number of employees the business has. As described in the article below, this hiring sign was displayed by a small flag store in New Orleans, run by two owners and zero employees. Federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. However, this only applies to companies that have 15 or more employees. This number may vary by state and is one protection given to small employers from governmental regulations. But even small employers need to remain aware of federal and state laws to ensure they are not engaging in discriminatory practices. While the sign “Male Help Wanted” could appear as discrimination based on sex, the flag shop using the sign is too small in terms of employee size for it to be illegal. The argument that remains is although something may not technically be discriminatory, should it be gender neutral and instead display “Help Wanted-Heavy Lifting Required”? The woman in the article complained to the owners about the sign and suggested a change of wording was unable to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since she had not applied and been denied the job.

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